Dear Ntebogeng, a very warm welcome and thank you so much for dropping by. It’s been great visiting your space and seeing your creative and beautiful expressions. I wish you well and beauty in your world. Hugs, Sharon

Hello, hello Robin Jean! Thank you for coming by and leaving this happy note for me this morning! I was lurking about last night (opening fridge doors, staring, walking about in the dim stillness of the house, eating a few bites of leftovers from dinner, jotting some notes)….and thinking of you :D I seem to love this long unwinding ritual for the day before I hit the bed. Did you get to bed by 10.30pm last night?!! :D Sharon

Good moring, Sharon! I have been thinking about YOU, too, every night around 9:00 or 9:30, when I say to myself, “I’m going to get to bed by 10:30 tonight!” But sadly, 11:30 is as close as I’ve gotten so far. Oh well, I’ll try again tonight and report back to you. ;-)
Have a great day!

Thank you so much Eleenie! I live next to a forest and nature reserve and I spend a lot of time exploring these woods. It’s my absolute favourite place to be, as you might very well know by now! Have a lovely chocolatety, mulberry day :D Sharon

Dear Nia, how very wonderful of you to drop by. I am so glad to meet you to and I look forward to getting to know you and your wonderful country. Thank you for your kind comments. I have enjoyed seeing your world through your lens. Have a really great day! My warmest wishes, Sharon

The first line in the Tolkien is curious. What it says—not what it may intend to say—is that every single thing out there in the world that is gold does not glitter. In the real world, most things made of gold do glitter. An unambiguous replacement for the first line (though it would mess up the rhyme) is: “Not all that glitters is gold.” There are things that glitter and may fool us into thinking they’re gold, even though they aren’t gold.

Hello Steve! How lovely of you to drop by! To be honest, I have actually never thought of the first line that way before. I have taken it to be purely symbolic – the gold referring to all that is precious and valuable does not always seem so apparent or catch our attention at first. What do you think? Thank you so much for your feedback. I have always found your photos to be an inspiration and a place for me to learn from. Sharon

Lovely pictures and lovely quote from one of my best friends! Spring in Finland seen from the point of view of Summer in Rajasthan … water streams … flowers … blades of grass sooting up and dancing in the light … fairy land! The monsoon will be here in one month. THanks for this breath of fresh air!

Hello Frederic in Rajasthan! So glad to meet a friend of Tolkien. Thank you so much for your very sweet comment. I have only been to Delhi, but from my understanding it is pretty dry, arid and hot in Rajasthan especially at this time of the year? The monsoon must be a welcome change. I’m happy if the photos of fresh springs and cool shadows bring a welcome relief. Wishing you a truly great day! Sharon

yes, really dry and no monsoon, no rain. The first rains come late June and it is an extraordinary feats to see nature, dry and ‘dead since December when it goes below 0, come back to life with the first rain. I read the quote from Tolkien to Mona, my partner and our spirits rose. Yes, Tolkien has been a guide for me for years. I didn’t know he was clse from Oxfordshire until we went to the council and saw the white horse of Gondor! Then, few years later, I found myself conducting a workshop in a library where there was an exhibition of his works and found out that it was the village where he had written his works. I don’t know about you Sharon, but for me the Lord of the Ring is not a story at all – it is realist journalism of our time and describes the shift going on worldwide and the battle we need to win.

I totally agree with you there that the Lord of the Rings is not a story – however grand the epic may be but an account of a personal journey, of the inner life and battles. Of the ego and how treacherous it is. The character of Gollum is a very powerful, sad and tragic reminder of how a life consumed by the lower self left unchecked. How utterly brilliant, I think Tolkien was in depicting this on-going battle so well both on the individual level and on a global level. So very glad to hear your thoughts on this. My warmest greetings to Mona and looking forward to getting to know you both special people! Sharon

Dear Dave, thank you most kindly! You should know I hold your feedback with high regard. I’m still seeing images of your last photos – ever thought of becoming a food photographer?! :D Happy holidays! Sharon

Ha! No, I would eat my subjects before I could photograph them. I did try some commercial photography years ago, but it wasn’t for me. I always loved candid photograph and photojournalism. I was a wedding photographer for 18 years. But I love landscape photography, too.

Hi Lilian!! Haha, this post is flushing out all the die-hard Tolkien fans!!! I bet you guys are waiting for the Hobbit to be out end of this year. I’m re-reading The Hobbit and The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Have a great day! Sharon

The depth within every line of this poem is worth exploring. How amazing, the power of words that flow from a heart that is full of the knowledge of its Creator.
The photographs bring back such nostalgic memories because I was there in the forest near your home. Fantastic photography! Keep it up. Mom.

MOM!!!!! How very, very wonderful of you to come by and leave me a comment!! Did you manage to do this on your own? You don’t know how big a smile you brought to my day!! Thank you for being my number one fan. Ask Dad to read the Memoirs – I know he’ll love those! :D So much love and I miss you all very much…

You know sometimes you have a little idea to try something out and it just fell into place to your own surprise?! This was one of those times! :D I’m glad you liked the end results as much as I enjoyed dabbling with it. Many hugs your way. Sharon

Dear Richa! I really can’t believe that I somehow missed clicking the Follow button on your blog because I went back today to check it out and your photos just blew me away!!! What amazing shots of your travels around the world! I’m particularly grateful for the section on Photography Tips and that some of your posts include tips on how you achieved that particular shot. Thank you so much for your generosity of spirit and sharing your knowledge in photography with the rest of us. As a beginner, I appreciate and am honoured by your encouragement! Thank you for coming by and I’m so glad to be part of your journey! Sharon

Hey Sharon,
Thanks much for your kind and wonderful words!. But to give the credit where it is due, many of these pics and all the posts on photography tips are from my husband, Tushit (hence the name, “richtush” :-) ). He is posting the tips from another login, but this theme doesn’t show his username on the main page.
Hope to see you often on this blog :-)
Thanks,
Richa (one half of richtush)

Dear Vikash, thank you so much for coming by and leaving me such an encouraging message! I very much enjoyed reading your post and will be back very soon to catch up with you. Have a lovely day! Sharon

It is my pleasure to nominate you for the Commentator’s Award!! If anyone deserves such an award, my friend, it is you–who post such thoughtful, provocative, generous, and loving conversations all over the blogosphere. How many times have I been delighted to read your conversations with fellow bloggers? And, how many times have I been graced with your beautiful letters in response to my own humble words? Thank you for making the world a substantially better place.

Lovely atmospheric b&w photos and I love the Tolkien poem – they go together really well, one enhancing the other. Thank you :)
Congratulations on the Commentator award which I’ve not heard of before, well deserved indeed :)

This poem truly resonated for me. Tolkien has captured much of what I feel about myself and the natural world. Your photos are stunning as well. Shadows are a big part of my work ~ so this was very special. Best Always, Robyn Lee

Congratulations Sharon! Just found this and so happy you came out of the closet…you writing is so seamless, so honest…it’s hard to imagine that it doesn’t just flow onto the page that way…but I too used to agonize over each word…what’s good to know is that it does get easier with time to show up and show others who we really are…so glad you did!!! xoxmeryl

What a lovely piece. I am so glad that you found your voice and are sharing it with the rest of us. The world is sadly in need of the kind of generosity of spirit that shines through your work. I know the anguish that you felt prior to hitting the publish button for the first time because I’m sure many of us have felt it too. But isn’t it wonderful that we can reach out to one another without a middle man having the right of veto???

Thank you for your kind words, especially as I want to ask if I can share another of your lovely photographs in a future post at soulsnet. I want to write a piece on friendship and I would like to link to “A Leaf in Springtime”. I will of course link back and credit you etc but more importantly I want to talk about the importance of friends, old and new.

My dear Corrine,
Your voice is a voice of gentle kindness and infused with wisdom. I am made so much richer knowing you. As always, it would be an honour if my photos are used with your writings. I eagerly await your post on friends…how our lives are enriched by their deep kindness. Hugs! Sharon

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Daily Reminders

Take responsibility for your own life.
Create no more suffering.
Practise Stillness.
Live in the Now.
Breathe deeply.
Surrender.
Cultivate contentment.
Hold on to negative emotions like a piece of hot coal in your hand...let it go.
Let gratitude well up and spill over.
Be infinitely kind to others...and to yourself.
Make today better than yesterday.
Forgive.
The secret of self-mastery is self-forgetfulness.
See God in every tree, every leaf, every flower, every person.
Get to bed by 10.30 every night!